Golden One
by we are infinite
Summary: Cherub called her their Golden One. Aurelia, doubtful but strong willed, had buried her burdens long ago. It was unexpected that they came back to haunt her. It destroyed everything and everyone around her.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Cherub. Period.

**A/N:** My first attempt at Cherub, therefore I would appreciate some feedback please.**

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**Golden One**

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**Prologue**

Aurelia Smyth stared at the blank canvas that was her wall, silently counting the number of times the knolling of the bell sounded in the nearby church. Speculating her room was nauseating, as everything had been packed away in a box or some sort of container. It was so tempting for her just to trash her room and vent all this anger and irritation.

But she refrained from doing so.

Mainly because she couldn't accept what had happened. She wouldn't acknowledge the fact that her only brother, who cherished and loved her so dearly, was gone. When the two had been informed of their parent's unfortunate accident, she was devastated; he on the other hand had handled the situation with rationality. He had gotten a steady job and worked hard for his earned money. It had taken a while, but with the cash he saved from years before, he had been able to afford the education that their parents had given Aurelia.

He had graduated from Upper College a year before their parent's death, planning to take a gap year before starting University with the money he had accumulated during his paper rounds. But all his plans had been washed down the drain when the accident happened. He bought a decent-sized apartment, large enough for two people and proceeded to acquire a job in advertising as an assistant. Although he had not gone to University, he had been lucky enough to pass every GCSE with an A and most of his A-Levels with an A or A. It had been quite a feat, and took up hours of the night, studying and concentrating.

Aurelia closed her eyes shut for a minute, her breathing shallow, as she saw flashes of what happened a few days ago flood her memory.

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_Aaron swept past the unfamiliar faces in this bustling crowd of strangers. His grin widened as he spotted his sister, Aurelia, leaning against the lamppost by the dead-end of Wellington Street, engrossed in a yet another book. He rolled his eyes and stealthily crept up behind her._

"_Boo!" he shouted into her ear, as soon as he got near enough. Aurelia jumped at least a foot in the air, dropping her book and clutching her heart._

_She glared at him before punching him in the arm. "Aaron! You made me lose my page!"_

_He chuckled at her antics, rubbing his arm while bending over to retrieve the fallen novel. It was then when a nasal voice was heard. _

"_What a pretty girl," the boy commented. Jeering laughter was then heard. Aaron immediately stood up to his full height and surveyed the imbecile that was apparently hitting on his sister. The leader's shocked face contorted into a smirk as Aaron stood behind Aurelia protectively and glared at the offending bulky boys. "And who might you be then, her boyfriend?"_

_Aaron cracked his knuckles and replied menacingly, "I'm her brother."_

_He wiggled his eyebrows to his mates and bent over laughing. "Well, as a big brother you'll probably be able to defend her against us, right?"_

_Sceptically watching them for a minute, he warily nodded, also noting that one of the boys had his hand gripped tightly to something behind his back._

"_Then this shouldn't hurt you one bit!" The boy whipped out a half-empty beer bottle and smashed it against the railing, causing jagged and sharp glass to fall to the ground, leaving the same imprint on the bottle._

_Aaron stepped back, enveloping Aurelia for a moment and pushed her towards the crowded street, mouthing: 'go home' twice before dodging a blow._

_She had been so thoughtless and irrational; she didn't stay with him, but instead, ran off to get the police. But when they had arrived the boys had left, leaving Aurelia with the still and lifeless corpse of her brother, drenched in a pool of his own blood._

_And to this day, that mistake she made killed her everyday.

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To say that the thought burdened her would be a complete understatement. She felt the guilt scratching at her insides, tearing and slashing until she couldn't feel much anymore. This went on day after day, that is, until today when she was supposed to be relocated to a home.

At the age of fifteen it was rather difficult for the social services to put her in a foster home on such a short notice. Aurelia Smyth was of average height, being neither too tall nor short, with bright green eyes that seemed to change according to whatever mood she was in. At this very moment, it was a mixture of a dark green of anguish and a sea-green colour of hope. It was then that a smiling woman, dressed casually, opened the door and addressed her.

Aurelia turned her pale face to the social worker called Isabelle. "What have you done to your hair?" Isabelle commented, taken aback.

She tentatively raised her hand and ran it through her rather short dark chestnut locks that flared out and framed her oval face. "I cut it," she replied, "do you like it?" All Isabelle could do was smile and nod.

"Come on, dear," she managed to sigh out, "The car is downstairs." Aurelia stood up stiffly and eventually lugged her to suitcase out of the door. She took one last look at her home, her security and the everlasting memory of her brother, silently saying goodbye, and headed out the door.

**-&-**


	2. Chapter One: Nebraska House

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Cherub, even though I would really like to.

**A/N:** I've yet to build up my skill for action/adventure writing, so bear with me.

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Golden One

**-&-**

**Chapter One**

The last thing Aurelia could comprehend was a damp cloth with the strong stench of chemicals clamping over her nose before she blacked out completely. It was a few hours later, when she regained consciousness that she noticed the starched and stiff sheets that she lay on. Her lean fingers ran smoothly across the surface, her face contorting into a grimace as she squinted into the bright light.

"Oh the young thing is up," a blurry figure above her whispered. She groaned and she felt as though a large rock had been hurled directly at her head; that was the extent of the pain of her headache. She had to steady herself as she sat up; since she had the queasy feeling she would quickly throw up. "Take it easy dear, no need to be in a rush."

Aurelia's eyes were slipping in and out of focus, but not for long, as the images her eyes deceived her with came to a slow standstill and everything was as clear as crystal. She was in a state of shock, realising that she was currently situated in a sick bay. Her voice was rather hoarse as she started to question the nurse that was standing by her bed, "Who are you and where exactly am I?"

The aged nurse with wiry grey hair chuckled. "You're quite the inquisitive one, aren't you?" She smiled pleasantly and continued, "Just wait here dear, someone will be with you soon." With that, she tottered off.

Aurelia got up and rubbed her eyes, yawning despite she had been asleep for God-knows how long. She had to force down a grin as she saw a woman with bright purple streaks in her hair and stylish earrings approach her.

"Hello, Aurelia, I'm Rachel." Rachel pleasantly stuck out her hand; Aurelia complied and shook it warmly. "How are you?"

"I'm not quite sure how I got here…didn't someone…there was a cloth…" Aurelia trailed off, even more confused than she was before.

Rachel laughed. "You're at Nebraska House, if that's what you're wondering." Her face morphed into one of sympathy and sighed. "My condolences are not enough for what you are feeling about your brother. I'm really sorry."

Aurelia didn't know what came up in her. "Of course they're _not enough_. No one knows my brother like _I did,_ and it's all _my fault_ he's gone," she said coldly, accenting the ending of each word. As her harsh words left her lips, she mentally slapped herself for speaking out of line, especially her feelings to someone she didn't know at all. "I'm—I'm really sorry, Miss. I don't know what came over me."

Rachel snorted and glanced at Aurelia. "There's something strange about you Aurelia. I've only ever been called Miss once, and that was by a boy who was in here not long ago—"

Aurelia's puzzled expression was evident on her face.

"Who?"

"Went by the name James," she replied. A shock of realisation hit her. "I never knew what happened to him…anyway, your room is on the second floor. Right up there." She pointed vaguely to what looked like a staircase, except it was littered with cans and McDonald's wrapping paper.

"Where's my belongings though?" Aurelia wondered. Without further a due, a boy pushed past her and nearly knocked her off her feet. "Watch where you're going!"

The boy turned his head and glared at her and continued to walk down the corridor, ignoring Aurelia's shouts of protests. She ran after him, hot on his heels and clamped her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and face her.

"What do you want?" he drawled, itching to get away from this clearly insane girl.

"Apologize for rudely bumping into me," she replied, looking him in the eye.

He couldn't help but burst out laughing, wheezing for breath in-between snorts of laughter. As his laughter subsided, Aurelia couldn't help but notice this boy's impish smile and his sparkling chocolate brown eyes. Shaking her head she dismissed all thought and tapped her foot impatiently.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're serious."

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

He smirked and raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. She flinched and glared at his amused expression, his eyes dancing as if in laughter as well. "My name is Tyrone," he introduced. "And who might you be?"

She gave him a furtive glance before answering curtly, "Aurelia."

"Interesting name," he commented.

"Why so?"

"It means golden one in Latin."

"Oh—right. Why did you bump into me?"

"You wanted your belongings…here they are…"

Aurelia dropped her head to look at the large duffel bag and suitcase in Tyrone's hands. She couldn't help but flush crimson in embarrassment. He grinned at her response and beckoned for her to follow him up the staircase. As she ascended up the narrow staircase, she noticed the cracks in the brightly painted walls and the graffiti sprayed and drawn on it. It was, in other words, a dump. But she had no other choice. Hopefully, she prayed, I'll be going to the same school.

Tyrone opened the door and led her inside, dropping her belongings on the ground. "Your roommate will be here in half an hour or so. I recommend you to find a big lock and hide your precious items." He smirked as he remembered something. "Oh, and your despite this being the girl's corridor, your roommate is far from a girl. He had to be put here as he was getting beaten up on due to his—sexual orientation." And with that, he waved and dashed out before Aurelia could open her mouth in disbelief.

Surely he must've been toying with her…

And when Aurelia flopped down onto the hard mattress, which was now to be her bed, she realised too late that Tyrone had not apologized to her.

_Sneaky bastard_.

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_That's the first chapter done. I've yet to write the second, and even plot it out. I think her roommate's identity is quite obvious. Don't you think? _

_Thanks for the people who reviewed, I appreciated it muchly. It makes me feel like an actual writer._


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